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JURGEN KLOPP ACCEPTS DEFEAT BUT CRITICISES REFEREE OVER SADIO MANE CALL

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits his side got what they deserved in a 3-1 quarter-final first leg defeat to Real Madrid which leaves their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.

However, he took a bizarre swipe at referee Felix Brych for having what he claimed was a personal issue with Sadio Mane after the German official ruled the Senegal international had not been fouled by Lucas Vazquez on the edge of the penalty area as he ran through on goal.

Mohamed Salah’s 26th goal in 44 Champions League matches had given the Reds a vital away goal and brought the score back to 2-1 early in the second half after a dreadful first 45 minutes saw them concede to Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio.

But they conceded another to Vinicius to leave them with a tough task at a fan-less Anfield next week.

“First and foremost I don’t think we deserved to win tonight, we didn’t play good enough and that is my first concern,” said Klopp.

“Especially in the first half we didn’t play good enough football. We conceded the first goal, served the second on a plate (after Trent Alexander-Arnold’s mistake), but that was not the real problem of the game.

“Of course conceding goals is a problem but it is not the problem. The second half we did better, we scored our goal which is the positive of the night and that’s how it is.

“Did we deserve more than the 3-1? I’m not sure.”

Klopp was baffled as to why Mane did not receive a free-kick and Vazquez a red card for the challenge late in the first half.

“The situation with Sadio, what the ref did tonight I have to say I don’t understand,” he added.

“For me that was something personal because he dealt with the situation with Sadio, which was a clear foul, like he was a diver or whatever.

“From that moment on whenever Sadio went down he didn’t get anything. That is not right. That is what I told him after the game, that I thought he was unfair with Sadio.
“That doesn’t change anything at all. He (Brych) didn’t lose the game. We were not good enough to get a better result, but in these moments you need just an ‘OK’ ref. That would have been enough.”

The pace of Vinicius was a problem for Liverpool all night and the Brazilian’s first double in a game was well deserved, according to coach Zinedine Zidane.

“I am happy for him because what he is doing and what all the guys are doing is a great job, especially from a defensive point of view,” said the Real boss.

“Maybe he was missing some goalscoring with the work he is contributing to the team so to score two goals is big to provide a lot of confidence and he deserves that.

“I don’t know if that was his best match but two goals in the quarter-finals is important for him and the team.

“I am happy because of the football. At the beginning of the second half we had a bit of difficulty but at the end of the day we are happy with 3-1 as it was a huge effort.

“We have to enjoy what we did today.”

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Vinícius Junior leads Real Madrid past Liverpool in 1st leg of CL quarterfinals

The game was a rematch of the 2018 Champions League final won by the same score by Madrid, which since then was eliminated in the tournament’s round of 16 two years in a row. Liverpool won the title following the loss to Madrid but was also eliminated in the round of 16 last season.

Vinícius Júnior finally came up with the type of performance Real Madrid fans have been expecting from him.

The Brazilian forward netted his first double for the club on Tuesday, leading it to a 3-1 over Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.

The youngster tormented the Liverpool defense all night and was precise with his finishes, moving the Spanish powerhouse closer to the semifinals after a two-year absence.

People outside of the club criticize me, but I keep working hard,” the 20-year-old Vinícius Júnior said. “That gives me the strength to arrive at an important moment like this and score the goals that the team needed.”

Marco Asensio also scored for Madrid, which took full advantage of Liverpool’s defensive blunders in the first half to take a commanding lead ahead of next week’s second leg in England.

Mohamed Salah netted the lone goal for Liverpool early in the second half before Vinícius Júnior sealed the victory for the hosts.

“If you want to go to the semifinals, you have to earn the right to do so,” Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp said. “We didn’t do that tonight, especially in the first half, so the only good thing really that I can say about the game apart from the fact we scored the goal, is that it’s only the first leg.”

The game was a rematch of the 2018 Champions League final won by the same score by Madrid, which since then was eliminated in the tournament’s round of 16 two years in a row. Liverpool won the title following the loss to Madrid but was also eliminated in the round of 16 last season.

Manchester City defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at home in the other quarterfinal on Tuesday.

Liverpool recently endured a run of poor results and sits only seventh in the Premier League, so it may have to win the Champions League to return to the European competition next season.

It looked lost at the start of the match at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium in Madrid, unable to get a shot on goal in the first half.

Vinícius Júnior opened the scoring on a breakaway in the 27th after a superb long pass over the top by Toni Kroos. The Brazilian forward made a nice run between Liverpool defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold and Nathaniel Phillips then chested the ball down before firing a low right-footed shot from inside the area past goalkeeper Alisson Becker.

Vinícius Júnior, who had scored only one goal since October and four in total this season, arrived to Madrid amid high expectations as a teenager but had been criticized for his poor finishes and bad decisions in front of goal. He pointed to the team’s shield both times after scoring.

“I’m happy for him, he needed to score,” Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said. “He has been playing well and helping the team. When you score it gives you more energy, that’s for sure.”

Another long pass by Kroos — and a defensive blunder by Liverpool — led to Asensio’s second goal in the 36th. Alexander-Arnold tried to clear the ball from Kroos but headed it across the area directly to Asensio, who flipped the ball over the charging Becker and finished the move on the other side to push it into the open net.

Liverpool complained of a foul by Lucas Vázquez on Sadio Mané just moments before Madrid’s second goal.

The English side improved after the break and was able to pull one back early in the second half with Salah finding the net from close range after a shot by Diogo Jota was partially blocked by Luka Modric in the 51st. The goal had to be confirmed by video review because of a possible offside by Salah.

With the goal, Salah became the fifth Liverpool player to score in four consecutive European appearances.

Asensio, who scored in each of Madrid’s last four games in all competitions, squandered the chance to increase Madrid’s lead on a breakaway in the 64th. But a minute later, Vinícius Júnior didn’t miss his opportunity after a pass by Modric amid more soft defending by the English team, finding the net with a shot from near the penalty spot.

Liverpool had kept four consecutive clean sheets away from home going into the game in Madrid. It has not had five in a row in away games this century.

Madrid got the win even though its defensive problems compounded just before the game as Raphael Varane tested positive for the coronavirus. Captain Sergio Ramos had already been ruled out because of an injury.

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AHEAD UCL QUARTER FINAL CLASH: ZINEDINE ZIDANE PRAISES LIVERPOOL AS A COMPLETE TEAM

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has praised Liverpool as “a complete team” ahead of their Champions League quarterfinal first leg but said he believes critics were too hasty to write off Madrid’s chances of winning silverware this year.

Both teams have struggled for consistency at times this season, but Real Madrid are now just three points behind leaders Atletico Madrid in La Liga, while Liverpool are two points off the Premier League top four.

“They’re a complete team,” Zidane said at a news conference on Monday. “Some people will mention the three forwards, and it’s true that they’re really good, but I think they’re a strong, solid unit. I’d rather focus on the team. After that, yes, the three forwards are really efficient. We’ll have to be alert.”

Zidane’s job looked to be under threat earlier in the campaign, with Madrid on the brink of being knocked out of the Champions League group stage for the first time.

The team lost their opening European fixture 3-2 at home to Shakhtar Donetsk, then drew 2-2 with Borussia Monchengladbach, before back-to-back wins over Inter Milan were followed by another defeat 2-0 to Shakhtar.

There was more pressure on Zidane in January, when Madrid were knocked out of the Spanish Supercopa by Athletic Bilbao and the Copa del Rey by third-tier Alcoyano, and lost at home to Levante in La Liga.

“Yes, I think so,” Zidane said, when asked if his team had been written off prematurely. “I believe in my team and I have confidence in them, I know what they can do. But we can’t change that… The good thing with this team, this club’s history, is that we never give up on things. Where there’s life, there’s hope, and we’re alive in two competitions.”

Real Madrid and Liverpool last met in the 2018 Champions League final in Kiev, when a Gareth Bale brace gave Madrid a 3-1 victory over Jurgen Klopp’s team.

Since then, Liverpool have gone on to win the competition in Madrid in 2019 and ended a 30-year wait for the Premier League title a year later.

“Since the final we played, they’ve won the Champions League, and we lost Cristiano [Ronaldo],” defender Nacho Fernandez said. “But I don’t think there’s much difference between us. We’re competitive, we’ve won a lot of trophies, we’re in great form and we have a great squad.”

Zidane wouldn’t confirm if Eden Hazard would be available for Tuesday’s match at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium, after the forward took part in training on Monday.

Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said that his side were not looking to see revenge for the 2018 final defeat

“We are not on a revenge tour here,” he told a news conference on Monday. “I don’t believe too much in revenge, but it would be nice to get through.

“Madrid are outstanding — sometimes you meet opponents again. It is nothing to do with the Premier League season either.

“I cannot get that feeling back, that anger or whatever, so I don’t even try. If we are better than Real Madrid or score more goals, then we can go to the next round.

“We are still in the fight for the Champions League spots. We have to chase the teams ahead of us, we have to chase Real Madrid tomorrow, who are in a really good moment.

“Very experienced. If someone knows how to win the Champions League, it is Real Madrid.”

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DIOGO JOTA SCORES BRACE AS LIVERPOOL OUTCLASS ARSENAL TO BOOST TOP FOUR HOPES

Substitute Diogo Jota scored twice as Liverpool showed they remain one of the best sides in the Premier League by completely outclassing Arsenal to win 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium.

Manchester City’s win at Leicester earlier in the day meant Liverpool’s hopes of retaining their title are now mathematically over after a season of mixed performances, poor results and terrible injury problems.

But Jurgen Klopp’s side were at their scintillating best, dominating an Arsenal side missing a number of their own key players to secure victory courtesy of a brace from Jota either side of a Mohamed Salah strike.

This was Mikel Arteta’s 50th Premier League fixture in charge of Arsenal and before the game he called for the Gunners to take the game to Liverpool, having won the corresponding fixture last year with a mixture of guile, guts and luck.

But Liverpool were on top from the get-go as the visitors showed their class – specifically in midfield where Thiago and Fabinho were at their best.

Arsenal sorely missed their injured quartet of David Luiz, Granit Xhaka, Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe – who would have all been likely starters on what would prove to be a galling night for the FA Cup holders.

James Milner came into the Liverpool side and dragged an early shot wide, as did Fabinho.

Sadio Mane then saw a header saved before fit-again Roberto Firmino shot just off target, with the home side unable to keep hold of the ball for any meaningful length of time.

Milner should have scored when picked out free on the edge of the penalty area but sent his effort wide, while Arsenal’s evening was summed up when Kieran Tierney limped off injured just before the break.

The second half would begin in a similar vein with Liverpool again the dominant force. Arteta reacted by introducing Mohamed Elneny in place of the ineffectual Dani Ceballos.

But it would be Liverpool’s first alteration which would prove inspired as Jota replaced Andrew Robertson just after the hour and broke the deadlock with his first chance.

Trent Alexander-Arnold – who had been in the news since failing to make the cut for Gareth Southgate’s England squad – delivered a pinpoint cross that was headed home by Jota as the Reds finally made their dominance pay.

The lead would be doubled soon after, Salah coolly slotting home through the legs of Bernd Leno after proving too strong for Gabriel Magalhaes.

Salah almost had a second as he latched on to a defence-splitting pass from Thiago, with Leno this time staying big and blocking the strike.

Jota turned home the third after Gabriel had gifted Liverpool possession with an errant pass from inside his own box.

A simple win for Klopp’s men saw them move to within two points of the top four, while Arsenal’s dwindling hopes of securing European qualification through their league position suffered yet another blow.

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LIVERPOOL ICON DANI AGGER RETURNS TO FOOTBALL WITH FIRST MANAGERIAL ROLE

Liverpool hero Daniel Agger is back in football and has taken the first step in his management career.

The former centre-back has taken the helm at Danish side HB Koge, who finished mid-table in the second tier last season.

Agger became a cult hero at Anfield due to his admiration for the club, even going so far as to have ‘YNWA’ tattooed on his knuckles.

The defender, who was capped 75 times by Denmark, retired in 2016 after a stint at Brondby, and left football afterwards.

Shortly after retiring, he started up a sewer company in Denmark and has managed it since 2016.

But now, he has stepped back into the footballing world by taking the top job at Koge.

Agger was officially unveiled at the second-tier side on Wednesday after signing a three-year contract.

The Dane explained why he felt the timing was right for him to make his first step into management

The former centre-back said: “The idea of returning to a new role in the football industry, and testing myself, has matured over the past year.

“HB Koge is the perfect place for me to start.

“The club has sound values and a solid foundation.

“What matters to me is that I personally know several of the people who run HB Koge.

“I’m very much looking forward to getting started – and I look forward to coming under pressure once more.”

Agger will also be reuniting with former Brondby sporting director Per Rud, who is Koge’s chief executive.

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UCL 2021 QUARTER FINAL DRAW: LIVERPOOL DRAW REAL MADRID, BAYERN FACE PSG

UEFA held the draw for the 2020-21 Champions League quarterfinals Friday, with defending champion Bayern Munich receiving a matchup with last year’s fellow finalist Paris Saint-Germain.
Here’s a look at the full results from the draw:

Quarterfinal 1: Manchester City vs. Borussia Dortmund
Quarterfinal 2: Porto vs. Chelsea
Quarterfinal 3: Bayern Munich vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Quarterfinal 4: Real Madrid vs. Liverpool

And here’s the semifinal bracket order:

Winner of Quarterfinal 3 vs. Winner of Quarterfinal 1
Winner of Quarterfinal 4 vs. Winner of Quarterfinal 2
The quarterfinal matches will take place April 6-7 and April 13-14. The complete fixture schedule will be released later Friday.

A two-leg rematch of last season’s final between Bayern and PSG should be a treat for football fans with both clubs coming off dominant performances in the round of 16.

The German side cruised to a 6-2 aggregate triumph over Lazio, while the French team eased past Barcelona 5-2 on aggregate on the strength of a 4-1 win in the first leg.

Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski explained coming into the campaign the club faced a lot of pressure to live up to the high standard it set by winning the treble last term.

“If you play so good in the last season, then everyone is looking at you now and how you will be in the new season,” Lewandowski told reporters in September. “And if you are on the top you have to work harder to stay longer on the top. And I think so for us that is the big challenge for this season.”

So far the Bavarians have lived up to those expectations as they sit atop the Bundesliga table with 58 points, four points clear of second-place RB Leipzig, while also having captured the DFL-Supercup in September and staying alive to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

The matchup with Paris Saint-Germain represents their toughest test to date, though.

While the winner of the Bayern-PSG quarterfinal may be viewed as the tournament favorite heading toward the semifinals, this is a deep field littered with legitimate title contenders.

Six of the eight clubs have clear title hopes and even the two longer shots, Dortmund and Porto, have enough attacking firepower to make a run to the final.

It sets the stage for an entertaining, highly competitive finish to this year’s Champions League over the next two months.

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LE BRON JAMES BECOMES PARTNERS WITH LIVERPOOL OWNERS

LeBron James has become a minor partner in Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the owners of Liverpool FC.

FSG announced on Tuesday the basketball legend has invested in the group, which also owns the Boston Red Sox.

James has been a part-owner of Liverpool FC since 2011 and has a 2% stake in the club, which he bought for £4.7m.

He and his business partner Maverick Carter are now taking a more active role in global sports ownership.

The pair become the first black partners at FSG after expanding their investment in the global sports group, which is valued at more than $6bn (£4.3bn), according to Forbes business magazine.

FSG is pushing ahead with ambitious expansion plans and this week also approved a $750m private investment deal with RedBird Capital Partners.

Reports suggest FSG may use the capital to buy other sports franchises as well as strengthening Liverpool FC and the Boston Red Sox baseball franchise.

James’s 2% stake in Liverpool FC is now worth more than £37m, according to a recent evaluation of the club by accountancy firm KPMG.

The LA Lakers star already had links with FSG, having co-produced a television show with Tom Werner, the chairman of the Red Sox and Liverpool.

Mr Werner has the second largest stake in FSG behind John Henry, the principal owner.

In 2010, FSG bought Liverpool FC in a £300m deal under its old name New England Sports Ventures.

James, who was named an NBA All-Star for the 17th time this season, has spoken of owning an NBA team one day. League rules forbid this for active players.

“I believe if I wanted to, I could own a team or be part of a basketball team,” James said in 2019. He is currently worth around $450m according to Forbes’ estimates. He sits at number five on the highest paid athletes of 2020 list, with earnings of $88m.

Along with his mega-salary as a basketball player and lucrative sponsorship deals, James has his own production and media companies.

He is also is a partner in a health and wellness company alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and part-owns 19 pizza franchises in Chicago and South Florida.

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WOLVES 0-1 LIVERPOOL: JOTA STRIKE HELP REDS AVOID ANOTHER LEAGUE DEFEAT

Diogo Jota scored against his former club to give Liverpool a 1-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Monday and keep them in contention for a top-four finish.

The result lifted Liverpool two places up to sixth on 46 points from 29 games, five adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea and two behind fifth-placed West Ham who have a game in hand. Wolves stayed 13th on 35 points from 29 matches.

Play was held up for 10 minutes in the closing stages as Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio suffered a concussion and was carried off on a stretcher after colliding with team mate Conor Coady who tried to close down Mohamed Salah.

Jota struck in first-half stoppage time as he beat Patricio with a swerving low shot from inside the penalty area after a flowing move by Salah and Sadio Mane, who fed the Portuguese forward with a sublime pass.

Nelson Semedo missed an early chance for the home side when Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker parried his close-range effort before Mane twice came close for the visitors, who looked toothless in the opening 30 minutes.

Conor Coady headed over the bar for Wolves from a good position in the 49th minute and Patricio tipped away a Salah shot from a tight angle at the other end before sustaining the serious-looking injury.

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UCL: LIVERPOOL REPEAT FIRST LEG SCORE LINE AGAINST LEIPZIG TO PROGRESS TO LAST EIGHT

Liverpool put their domestic crisis behind them as a 2-0 win over RB Leipzig eased them into the quarter-finals of the Champions League in Budapest.

This was Reds’ designated ‘home’ fixture but their woeful Anfield form – where they had lost six in a row in the league – meant they were probably grateful coronavirus restrictions forced them to play in Hungary again.

And having waited more than 11 hours for a goal from open play at home two came along within the space of five second-half minutes as Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane – scoring the 100th Champions League goal in manager Jurgen Klopp’s 44th match in charge – made the tie safe with a 4-0 aggregate victory.

The return of Fabinho, one of five changes from the defeat to Fulham, to central midfield for the first time since he was forced to permanently deputise at centre-back when Virgil Van Dijk’s season was ended by a knee injury in the Merseyside derby in mid-October proved to be pivotal.

It also meant a fit-again Ozan Kabak partnering Nat Phillips, on his European debut having been omitted from the squad for the group stage, in an eighth different central defensive combination in eight Champions League matches.

The effect on the team was a marked improvement with the Brazil international providing essential cover in front of the back four, allowing the centre-backs to concentrate on defending.

Holding a 2-0 lead it was a night for an old-fashioned, no-nonsense centre-back and the excellent Phillips filled that role perfectly up against a traditional striker in Yussuf Poulsen, winning his fair share in the air and spotting and closing the gaps when danger appeared.

The other positive from Fabinho’s midfield presence was it allowed full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson to play higher and with Thiago Alcantara freed from defensive responsibilities he could focus on the creative side of his game.

His desire to create was to his detriment early on when he opted to lay-off to Salah when played through the middle and the chance was lost.

Mane volleyed over, although would probably have been flagged offside, while Diogo Jota’s powerful header was tipped over by former Liverpool goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.

Salah failed to beat the Leipzig keeper from a quick counter-attack, Mane making a mess of the follow-up header, as Klopp’s side looked more threatening.

Alisson Becker made one save in the first half from Dani Olmo after Leipzig broke in numbers but Liverpool should have been ahead in the tie just before the break as Jota was denied by Gulacsi after a three-on-three counter-attack and then fired into the side-netting after Dayot Upamecano miscontrolled to take the ball away from Gulacsi.

Liverpool were comfortable for the first 20 minutes of the second half but substitute Alexander Sorloth, the former Crystal Palace striker, hitting the crossbar with a header was the wake-up call they needed.

It worked as a quick passing move from just inside their own half involving Thiago, Mane and Jota teed up Salah to cut inside and slot home with his left foot in the 70th minute.

Mane made sure there was to be no late drama by converting substitute Divock Origi’s driven cross from close range to bring up Klopp’s Champions League century.

Surprisingly Leipzig had won eight of the last nine with the defeat coming in the first leg, failed where Premier League opposition have succeeded seemingly so easily as Liverpool were able to keep a sixth clean sheet in their seven European outings this season.

Europe may offer Klopp’s side the best opportunity for Champions League qualification as their domestic form – three wins since Christmas – has put a top-four place in jeopardy.

And if the six-time winners were looking for omens on the last two occasions the club have faced German opponents at this stage they have gone on to win the Champions League (Bayer Leverkusen in 2005 and Bayern Munich in 2019).

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LEMINA STRIKE EARNS FULHAM 1-0 VICTORY AT ANFIELD

Fulham went level on points with Brighton & Hove Albion as Mario Lemina’s strike earned a 1-0 win that extended Liverpool’s losing run at Anfield.

Josh Maja twice went close for the visitors early on, first shooting wide from Kenny Tete’s cross before being denied by Alisson at point-blank range.

Ademola Lookman also had a close-range strike deflected over by Neco Williams.

An impressive first-half display was rewarded in stoppage time, when Lemina drilled in a low shot following a corner.

Liverpool improved in the second half, with the returning Diogo Jota having a volley brilliantly saved by Alphonse Areola.

Substitute Sadio Mane’s looping header struck a post and Xherdan Shaqiri also shot narrowly wide but Fulham held on for their second Premier League win at Anfield.

A sixth consecutive home league defeat for Liverpool drops them to eighth on 43 points.

Fulham, unbeaten in eight away league matches, stay 18th but are now level with Brighton on 26 points, having played one match more.